Knockdown cabinet fixture



Oct. 29, 1935. M. T. JOHNSTON KNOCKDOWN CABINET FIXTURE Filed May 5 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR.

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Oct. 29, 1935. M. T. JOHNSTON KNOCKDOWN CABI NET FIXTURE Filed May 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -IIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIII/Ib,

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Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES KNOCKDOWN CABINET FIXTURE Marriott T. Johnston, Chicago, 111., assignor to Walgreen 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 5, 1932, Serial No. 609,534

1 Claim. (01. 312108) This invention relates to cabinet structures and more particularly to sectional cabinets of the knockdown type.

It contemplates more especially the provision of complemental sections capable of ready association and dismantling to provide wall cabinets of variable dimensions and extent.

Wall cabinets are generally employed as a necessary fixture in stores merchandising a variety of commodities, and especially in drug stores behind the soft drink and sandwich counter. Known types of cabinets have not proven satisfactory from an installation and removal standpoint, since these are usually built specially for individual stores to meet the dimensional requirements thereof. Stores vary in size and layout so that it proves very difiicult to adapt a standard cabinet structure to different situations and stores owing to the great variation in the dimensional extent and requirements thereof. Specially built fixtures are exceedingly expensive, and prove more or less useless should there be a necessity for dismantling or removal for use in another store, situation or location. This has proven very serious in chain store operation, since there is often a requirement or necessity to change location of stores so that the removal of fixtures from one for utilization in another would prove more advantageous in the new location. Then, too, the cost of manufacturing standard units on a production basis is considerably less than building fixtures of special design and dimensional extent for particular situations.

Standardization in fixtures to enable interchangeability and the extension thereof by duplication of units is of substantial significance and importance to economically meet modern commercial requirements in retail merchandising.

One object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and improve the usefulness of fixtures of the character mentioned.

Another object is to provide novel sectional units capable of ready assembly into cabinet r structures of varying size and dimensional extent. Still another object is to provide simple and effective means for maintaining sectional cabinet units in aligned connected relation.

A further object is to provide standard cabinet units of novel and less expensive construction.

50 A still further object is to provide means for effectively joining and maintaining the confronting units of a cabinet structure in rigid assembled relation.

Still a further object is the provision of standard 55 cabinet units capable of ready assembly and dismantling to enable the use thereof in different situations and store locations to meet varying requirements.

Other objects and advantages will appear from I the following description of an illustrative embodi- 5 ment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of a cabinet embodying features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a cabinet shown in 10 Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of adjacent shelf sections utilized in the interior of the cabinet shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially 15 along line IV-IV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the method of attaching the panels to the framework.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a 20 wall structure substantially as viewed from line VI-VI of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken through the spacer rods substantially along lines VII -VII of Figure 4. 25

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VIIIVIII of Figure 1, with insulation provided in the interior of the cabinet.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the unit with aligning and fastener means taken substantially along line IX-IX of Figure 2.

The structure selected for illustration comprises confronting frame members Ill and H of substantially rectangular configuration defined by angle irons of standard or approved construction. The frame members In and II are maintained in spaced parallelism by virtue of a plurality of spacer rods 12 which extend between vertical bars l3, constituting horizontally spaced strips attached to the frame members I 0 and I l in aligned confronting relation. The spacer rods l2 consist, in this instance, of tubular pipes or drilled rods having the end regions of the interior bores thereof suitably threaded for the reception of screw fasteners M which project through apertures in the vertical frame bars l3. In consequence thereof, the frame members l0 and II are maintained in spaced alignment, and frame ends it and is are detachably connected therewith in any suitable manner or such may be sustained in spaced relation by the confronting frame memhers is and E l to complete the units which may be of any desired length as commercial practice may dictate. However, it is proposed that the depth of the units as defined by the spacer rods l2 shall 5 be standard, although such may be varied within a wide range depending upon the length of the spacer rods l2.

The frame members I 0, I5 and I6 are concealed from view by means of panels I! and I8 which preferably are of multiple width for interchangeability dependent upon the number of frame units that may be attached in alignment for positioning against a wall or otherwise. In the present embodiment the panel members I! are one-half the width of the panel members 18 so that these may be attached to the vertical frame bars l3 through the medium of the'screw fasteners l9 which preferably have heads countersunk in the panels I! and I8 to render suchunnoticeable. tapered heads 20 which are countersunk in the vertical frame bars l3 so that the panels I! and [8 may be applied thereover without obstruction.

Asa result, the screw fasteners |4 serve the function of attaching the vertical frame bars l3 to the intermediate spacer rods I2 secured thereto by threaded engagement with the interior bores thereof. It is to be noted that access to the interior of the cabinets is rendered possible by means'of doors 2|, in this instance two for each unit, which are mounted to the vertical frame above and below the doors 2| so that the entire front surface thereof is of finished panelled construction for concealment of the framework from view.

A top board 26 composed of porcelain or other suitable materials is shaped to rest on the confronting frame members IO and II for attach-' ment thereto by resort to any suitable means such as thefasteners 21. The topboard 26 preferably has a forward depending ledge 28 formed thereon to overlap the top edge of the front panels I1 and 18 so as to impart a pleasing appearance to the assembly without any exposed edges. The panels H and I8 as well as the doors 2| and intermediate panel strips 25 are preferably composed of fiber havinga metallic thm sheet of aluminum or other material adhesively applied thereto under pressure to impart a finished and durable surface thereto. The end and rear panels 29 are similarly constructed and extend over the entire area of the unit to which they are applied.

The shelves comprise adjacently disposed units 30 having interlocking flanges 3| and 32 provided along the ends thereof to enable the positioning thereof within the confines of the framemembers l0 and H through the doors2| thereof. The shelf units 36 rest on the spacer rods J2, and these are connected while being singly positioned upon. the rods; l2 for attachment with each other a through the medium of the flanges 3| and 32.

It is to be noted that the unit thus far described may be extended to a unit of equal length ,wise the structural features of the unit are similar to the one, previously described, and these are attached in end alignment by virtue of inwardly projecting flanges 33 and 33' GOIl l Il The spacer rod fasteners 4 also have V connection therebetween. To preclude the possible removal of the collar 36, a threaded machine screw fastener 38 engages the correspondingly l5 threaded bore of the collar 36 to abut against the surface of the flange 33 and cooperate with the collar shoulder 31 to eflect a positive and detach able joinder between the flanges 33 and 33. Any

number of aligning collars 36 may be resorted to 20 depending upon the dictates and requirements of commercial practice, andit will be apparentthat any number of frame units may be end-aligned to correspond with the dimensional extent of any particular wall against which the cabinets 25 are positioned.

The panels I! need only be substituted by the wider panels l8 in order to afford concealment for the interstice between the units, and this serves to preclude any recognizablesegregation between 30 units. In such cases, a double length top board may be substituted for the double unit single length top boards 26 and 26' similar in construction, and thus a cabinet may be readily assembled toextend for any desired distance. fact, half-unit cabinets may be correspondingly produced and assembled so as to standardize the units to meet the requirements of any variation in dimensional extent of a store or wall area,

thereby availing the use of the same cabinets for 40 different stores.

Should it be desired to refrigerate one or more sections of cabinet units of the type described' supra, it is only necessary to provide the interior walls with insulation preferably in the form of cork wall sections 39 and 46, for the forward and rearward walls, respectively. Top and bottom sections 4| and 42 preferably shaped to provide corner cut-out portions 43 which serve as a complement to the wall insulator sections 39 and 40 disposed therebetween. End insulator sections 7 44 are also provided, and thus the entire interior is capable of being refrigerated by resort to any suitable expansion coil 45 preferably suspended within the interior by means of brackets 46 having rods 41 which serve as a connector to the top frame member. The forward and rearward wall insulator sections 39 and 46 are maintained in position by virtue of the spacer rods l2. The

spacer rods l2 project therethrough, and the 50 exterior thereof is threaded as at 48 proximate to both ends thereof to receive'sui table fasteners 's'uchas nuts 49 in threaded engagement therewith. The 'nuts'49 serve to hold the wall insulator sections 39 and46 in position, and these may 55 scribed without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in 7 the appended claim.

I claim: In a wall cabinet, the combination with confronting front and rear frame members, of rods In consequence thereof, the 10 .collar 36 will align the units through the medium ,of the angle irons 34 and 34' and serve as a rigid interposed between said front and rear frame members, there being threaded apertures in said rod ends, end frame members joined to said front and rear frame members, fastener means in threaded engagement with said threaded rod ends for detachably securing said rods to said front and rear frame members to effect their rigid spaced relation as a rigid unit, said rods extending between said front and rear frame members in a vertical series to comprise shelf supports, flat surface members detachably secured to said frames to serve as a concealing enclosure therefor, and means for effecting the aligned end attachment of one of said enclosed units to a similar unit, said last named attaching means comprising a shouldered collar extending through adjacent frames, there being a threaded axial bore in said collar, and threaded studs abutting against the frame opposite the shoulder on said collars for threaded engagement with the bores thereof.

MARRIOTT T. JOHNSTON. 

